Is That Drop in Organic Traffic Normal?

Every site owner loves to see their organic traffic climb upwards month over month. But very few websites see that growth month after month after month without fail. Sooner or later you are bound to have a slow month where organic traffic takes a slight drop, maybe 5-10% or so. Other months might even see a bigger drop in organic traffic, but that doesn’t automatically mean your SEO program is failing. Unless your drop in organic traffic happens the same day as a Google update like Panda or Penguin goes live, try not to panic right away. That drop in organic traffic could actually be normal!

Every industry and every website is bound to feel the impact seasonality throughout the year. For instance, a florist might get a steady stream of traffic all year but sees huge spikes around Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day because more people are actively searching for local florists. A B2B software company might see an influx in traffic in Q1 because potential customers have approved budgets to work with and are looking to buy. That’s the positive impact of seasonality; there are more people searching for what you have to offer. But seasonality can also create a drop in organic traffic. For example, a B&B on Cape Cod isn’t doing much business after Labor Day weekend simply because people aren’t looking to travel to the beach in the winter. Traffic to their website is bound to take a noticeable hit during that time, but pick up again once warmer months are on the horizon. If that B&B owner looked at the Google Analytics account year-over-year chances are they would see similar drops in organic traffic during that same time period over and over again.

Take a look at the graph below. One of our B2B clients is way up in terms of organic traffic year-over-year, but you can see a clear drop towards the end of November. But what happens at the end of November? Thanksgiving of course! It’s a four-day weekend (if not longer) for most people and very few people are actively searching for B2B products and services.

The story might be a little different if this was a B2C retailer, who would probably see a surge in organic traffic because of shoppers scoping out all the Black Friday deals. See how seasonality can have a positive or negative impact on your business depending on what it is you sell and who you are trying to reach? That drop (or surge) in organic traffic might actually be completely normal!

It’s very important you take time to understand the seasonality of your own business. If there are simply less people searching for your products and services at a certain time of year you are going to see less organic traffic. Certain industries have very clear and defined seasons. For instance, how many people are searching for “Christmas tree farm” in July? You can’t expect to drive organic traffic to your site when there is not organic traffic to be had. Other industries might be influenced by a variety of factors that create seasonal demand (or lack thereof). If you experience a drop in traffic make sure it’s not just business as usual before you start panicking.

Read What Full Service SEO Clients Say About SEO Firm Brick Marketing

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"Brick Marketing is levels above all others...an integral part of my team"

“I have formed an invaluable marketing partnership with Brick Marketing. Nick Stamoulis and the rest of the Brick Marketing team are professional, timely, thorough and take time to, not only succeed at the tasks, but also educate myself and my team on the strategies in the process. Since my first encounter working with Brick, I’ve changed organizations and have taken them along with me…they are that good! In my experience in working with many outside agencies who over-promise and under-communicate, I can truly state that Brick Marketing is levels above all others and vested in our relationship. They are not just an SEO consultant, but an integral part of my team. I highly recommend Brick Marketing for any company looking to significantly increase search engine competitiveness and internet presence.​”

– Jodi Murphy, Marketing Director EUXmedia

"traffic has increased over 80% year-over-year"

“When we started working with Brick Marketing, we had just been subjected to a Google algorithm update and our websites both took substantial hits to traffic. Within a few months, Brick has taken both of our websites to pre-algorithm traffic and conversion levels, and for the CallFinder site, the traffic has increased over 80% year-over-year. Their expertise in SEO, responsive design, and content marketing helped us turn the situation around, and we could not be happier with the results we’ve seen in just our first four months of working with them. The team we work with at Brick Marketing is always available for off-the-cuff consultations and are at the ready to provide recommendations and suggestions to improve our site’s appearance and performance. They are truly a hands-on partner, which is immensely valuable to our business.​”

"superior knowledge of marketing on the internet"

“I have had the good fortune to work with SEO expert Nick Stamoulis and his team at Brick Marketing and it was clear form the get go that Nick had superior knowledge of marketing on the internet. The SEO campaign and technical writing that Brick Marketing provides has been impressive, where in the past we struggled to find the high levels of competence in these two skill sets. Were only just beginning with Brick Marketing and look forward to growing with their expert guidance. Thank you Nick Stamoulis and the Brick Marketing team!”

– Craig Raubenheimer, President, Roan Solutions, Inc.

"dependable, professional SEO company"

“Brick Marketing has been a dependable, professional SEO company that has helped us get results. In the last 6 months of using their services, visits to our website have increased by almost 30%. Our dedicated SEO Specialist was pleasant to deal with. Her suggestions for articles and press releases were industry specific. Brick Marketing always answered our phone calls and emails within an hour which made us feel valued as a client. I would recommend Brick Marketing to all businesses to handle their SEO needs.”

– JoAnne Loftus, Archival Designs, Inc.

"highly recommend Brick Marketing to all of my clients"

“After working with many other SEO firms and not being satisfied I finally was introduced to the Brick Marketing President and Founder, Nick Stamoulis. Nick Stamoulis has educated me about SEO and has provided me with a well rounded SEO package, not only does he offer top quality services he also educates his clients and spends the time to explain everything and their SEO pricing is competitive. I will highly recommend Brick Marketing to all of my clients. Brick Marketing is an A+ for SEO services.”

– Mike Cardella, Integrated Computer Services

"Brick Marketing is rock solid and essential in building a strong marketing foundation."

“Brick Marketing is extremely valuable for feedback and advice in many aspects of marketing, not just SEO and I look forward to continuing to work with them over the long term to continually improve our business and increase sales. That’s what it’s all about. Just like their name implies, Brick Marketing is rock solid and essential in building a strong marketing foundation.”

– Jeff Nicholson, President Freely Creative, Inc. / Websticker.com

"Brick Marketing has been a tremendous resource for our business"

“Brick Marketing has been a tremendous resource for our business. Through their expertise with the ever changing world of SEO, our web presence is as strong as ever. Our working relationship with Nick Stamoulis and Danielle Bachini has been outstanding. In collaboration with web designer Chris Roberts, we were also able to develop the perfect responsive website that truly reflects our business. Thank you Brick Marketing!​”

– Ellen Parlee, Parlee Farms

"went above and beyond to help us with any SEO issues"

“We hired Brick Marketing to manage our SEO, but they ended up also managing our company blog, social media marketing, helped us launch a pay per click advertising campaign, migrated our website to a new domain and so much more! Our SEO Specialist is always quick to respond whenever we had a question and went above and beyond to help us with any SEO issues.”

– Mory Creighton, CEO, Pinpoint Laser Systems

"Brick Marketing is "solid" when it comes to support for SEO marketing advice"

“I had been impressed for a long time with the content that Brick Marketing was sharing in their informative blog posts and articles. I chatted with Nick Stamoulis a couple times and decided that he was the expert I wanted to work with. I have worked with Brick Marketing for about six months and they have helped us resolve several SEO related issues pertaining to our website. Our account rep is always just an email away with answers to any questions I have and suggestions for how we can improve what we’re doing. Brick Marketing is “solid” when it comes to support for SEO marketing advice. I definitely recommend them if you want to feel more secure about how your website is performing in searches and have the confidence that everything being done to improve your rank is white hat and legit.”

– Paul Rarick, Debbiegrattan.com

"Our keyword rankings have improved and traffic has increased"

“The Brick Marketing team, was critical to ensuring that our new Web site is optimized to drive maximum traffic. Our keyword rankings have improved and traffic has increased thanks to her assistance and advice. In addition, they executed a strategic link building program that helped further increase Web traffic.”